Methods and apparatus to authenticate requests for network capabilities for connecting to an access network

ABSTRACT

Example methods and apparatus to authenticate requests for network capabilities for connecting to an access network are disclosed. A disclosed example method involves receiving a request at a first access network. The request requests network connectivity information for connecting a wireless terminal to a second access network. The example method also involves encapsulating the request in an authentication frame. The authentication frame indicates the request as a white space protocol frame. The authentication frame is sent to a database addressed in the request.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to network communications and,more particularly, to methods and apparatus to authenticate requests fornetwork capabilities for connecting to an access network.

BACKGROUND

Wireless network deployments, such as wireless local area networks(WLANs), allow wireless terminals to access network and Internetservices when within proximity of wireless communication signals ofthose wireless networks. Sometimes, users of wireless terminals movebetween different locations that offer different types of access networktechnologies. In such instances, wireless terminals capable of operatingwith different access network technologies can establish communicationswith such different technologies when moved between different locations.When moved to a new location, a wireless terminal must determine whetheran access network is available and identify the information required toestablish a connection with the available access network.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an example communication network in which a wirelessterminal retrieves network connectivity information from a televisionwhitespace (TVWS) database for connecting to TVWS access networks.

FIG. 2 depicts an example communication exchange between a wirelessterminal, a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP), and aTVWS database of FIG. 1 to access information in the TVWS database.

FIG. 3 depicts an example beacon frame that can be transmitted by theWLAN AP of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 depicts an example access network request frame and a databasequery frame of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 depicts an example database response frame and an access networkresponse frame of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 depicts an example database network address frame that may beused in connection with the database query and response frames of FIGS.2, 3, and 4 to retrieve a network address of the TVWS database of FIGS.1 and 2.

FIG. 7 depicts an example database registration frame that may be usedin connection with the database query and response frames of FIGS. 2, 3,and 4 to register with TVWS database of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 8 depicts an example database request frame that may be used inconnection with the database query frame of FIGS. 2 and 4 to sendrequests to the TVWS database.

FIG. 9 depicts an example request type values data structure includingdifferent request types that can be indicated in the database requestframe of FIG. 8 for different types of requests communicated to the TVWSdatabase.

FIG. 10 depicts an example database response frame that may be used inconnection with the database response of FIGS. 2 and 5 to communicateinformation from the TVWS database to the wireless terminal of FIGS. 1and 2.

FIG. 11 depicts an extended database response frame that may be used inconnection with the database response of FIGS. 2 and 5 to communicateextended information from the TVWS database to the wireless terminal ofFIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 12 depicts an example TVWS protocol (TVWSP) error/warning/infocodes data structure including codes to inform the wireless terminal ofFIGS. 1 and 2 of error, warning, and/or other operating states of theTVWS database of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 13 depicts an example cellular network information frame forexchanging information with a TVWS database in a cellular network.

FIG. 14 depicts another example communication network in connection withan authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server.

FIG. 15 depicts an example RADIUS time-length-value (TLV) structure thatmay be used to communicate a TVWSP frame from a network access server toa RADIUS server.

FIG. 16 depicts an example Diameter attribute-value-pair (AVP) structurethat may be used to communicate a TVWSP frame from a network accessserver to a Diameter server.

FIG. 17 depicts a detailed diagram of the example wireless terminal ofFIGS. 1 and 2 that may be used to implement the example methods andapparatus described herein.

FIG. 18 depicts an example processor system for use in a network andthat may be used to implement the example methods and apparatusdescribed herein.

FIG. 19 depicts an example flow diagram representative of computerreadable instructions that may be used to access a TVWS database usingthe example methods and apparatus described herein.

FIG. 20 depicts an example flow diagram representative of computerreadable instructions that may be used to push TVWS connectivityinformation updates from a TVWS database to a registered terminal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Although the following discloses example methods and apparatusincluding, among other components, software executed on hardware, itshould be noted that such methods and apparatus are merely illustrativeand should not be considered as limiting. For example, it iscontemplated that any or all of these hardware and software componentscould be embodied exclusively in hardware, exclusively in software,exclusively in firmware, or in any combination of hardware, software,and/or firmware. Accordingly, while the following describes examplemethods and apparatus, persons having ordinary skill in the art willreadily appreciate that the examples provided are not the only way toimplement such methods and apparatus.

The example methods and apparatus described herein can be used to access(e.g., retrieve network connectivity information) a database storingnetwork information pertaining to a plurality of access networks indifferent locations. The example methods and apparatus described hereincan be used in connection with mobile communication devices, mobilecomputing devices, or any other device capable of communicatingwirelessly with a wireless network. Such devices, also referred to asterminals, wireless terminals, TVWS devices, TV band devices (TVBDs), oruser equipment (UE), may include mobile smart phones (e.g., aBLACKBERRY® smart phone), wireless personal digital assistants (PDA),laptop/notebook/netbook computers with wireless adapters, etc. Theexample methods and apparatus are described herein in connection withthe wireless local area network (WLAN) communication standard known asIEEE® (Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11,which, among other things, defines interworking with external networks.However, the example methods and apparatus may additionally oralternatively be implemented in connection with other wirelesscommunication standards including, but not limited to, other WLANstandards, personal area network (PAN) standards, wide area network(WAN) standards, wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN) standards(e.g., IEEE® 802.16 or WiMAX networks), wireless regional area network(WRAN) standards (e.g., IEEE® 802.22), or cellular communicationstandards.

The example methods and apparatus described herein can be used to obtaininformation about connecting with television white space (TVWS) accessnetworks before attempting to connect with such networks. A TVWS accessnetwork is a telecommunications network through which wireless terminals(e.g., TVWS devices or TVBDs having radio transceivers that operate intelevision bands) connect to information and services across one or moreother networks (e.g., the Internet). A TVWS network allows wirelessterminal connectivity and communications via unused channels betweenactive digital television (DTV) (or analog television) channels.Alternatively, the example methods and apparatus described herein mayalso be used in connection with other white space technologies that usefrequency bands of other, non-television, systems such as militarycommunication systems, terrestrial broadcast radio systems, etc.

To store and provide information about TVWS connectivity capabilitiesand/or requirements at different locations supporting TVWS accessnetworks, a networked TVWS database is hosted in an external networkaccessible through one or more types of access networks includingwireless local area networks (WLANs) and TVWS access networks. In someexample implementations, the TVWS database may providecapabilities/requirements information such as connection frequencies,available bandwidth, power, policy, locations, timing, and access rightsto channels allocated for TVWS access network connectivity. Thisinformation can be provided for different locations in which TVWS accessnetworks are available.

The example methods and apparatus described herein can be advantageouslyused to inform wireless terminals of the types of TVWS connectivity thatare available in different locations before the wireless terminalattempts a TVWS connection at those locations. For example, a persontravelling between different locations (e.g., different cities, states,countries, etc.) may, in advance, query a TVWS database about TVWSaccess network availability and connectivity capabilities/requirementsat a future destination, so that upon arrival at the destination, theperson's TVBD can connect to the available TVWS access network based onthe retrieved TVWS access network connectivity capabilities/requirementsinformation.

In the illustrated examples described herein, example wireless terminalsused to connect with TVWS access networks are dual-mode wirelessterminals having wireless capabilities for connecting to the TVWS accessnetworks (using TVWS protocols and TVWS frequencies) and for connectingto an IEEE® 802.11 WLAN access network. In other exampleimplementations, the example methods and apparatus described herein maybe used by wireless terminals having TVWS connectivity capabilities inaddition to capabilities for connecting to access network technologiesother than IEEE® 802.11 WLAN access networks. Such other access networktechnologies may include both wireless and wired technologies such ascellular, Ethernet LAN and universal serial bus (USB), for example.

A dual-mode wireless terminal can be advantageously used to connect to aTVWS database via a non-TVWS access network (e.g., a WLAN accessnetwork) to retrieve information about TVWS access network connectivitycapabilities/requirements before attempting to connect to a TVWS accessnetwork. In this manner, if TVWS connectivity is not available or notpossible, a wireless terminal need not consume battery power inattempting to connect to a TVWS access network when such an accessnetwork is not available or such a connection is not possible.

Although the example methods and apparatus are described herein asaccessing a TVWS database to access information about, for example,accessing TVWS access networks, the example methods and apparatus maysimilarly be used to access databases storing information (e.g.,information servers) about accessing and connecting to other types ofnetworks (e.g., WLAN access networks, cellular networks, etc.),including networks that use white space in bands other than TV bands, asregulatory domains make them available. In other exampleimplementations, the information message exchanges described hereinbetween a TVBD and a TVWS database may be implemented using otherschemes such as email, short messaging service (SMS), and instantmessaging.

Turning now to FIG. 1, an example communication network 100 in which theexample methods and apparatus described herein may be implemented isshown. As shown in FIG. 1, the example communication network 100includes a WLAN access network 102 having a WLAN access point (AP) 104and a network access server (NAS) 106 that provide access to a TVWSdatabase 108 in an external network 110. The NAS 106 determines whetherwireless terminals are permitted to gain network access and, thus,communicate with the WLAN access network 102 and other networks (e.g.,the external network 110). In the illustrated examples described herein,the NAS 106 also processes communications sent by a wireless terminal114 to the WLAN AP 104 intended for delivery to the TVWS database 108and forwards such communications or related portions (e.g., TVWSP framesdiscussed below in connection with FIGS. 6-8) to the TVWS database 108.In addition, the NAS 106 receives responses from the TVWS database 108and forwards the response information (e.g., via TVWSP frames of FIGS.6, 10, and 11) to the wireless terminal 114 through the WLAN AP 104.

In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, the external network 110 is anetwork that is logically separate from the WLAN access network 102 orlogically separate from any other access network through which wirelessterminals connect to the TVWS database 108. In the illustrated exampleof FIG. 1, connectivity to the TVWS database 108 is available throughthe Internet 112. However, in other example implementations,connectivity to the TVWS database 108 via an access network (e.g., theWLAN access network 102) may be available through a private network orother networking environment other than the Internet 112 including, forexample, an intranet, an enterprise network, or a mobile operator's corenetwork. In some example implementations, the TVWS database 108 may bedistributed between different regions, with a hierarchy of databasesthat are managed and synchronized.

In some example implementations, the TVWS database 108 may be ‘open’such that authentication or authorization is not required. In suchinstances, an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server(e.g., a RADIUS or Diameter server) is not required, as in the networkconfiguration of FIG. 1. When an AAA server is not used, the NAS 106 mayemploy a lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) to exchangecommunications with the TVWS database 108. In other exampleimplementations, the TVWS database 108 may not be ‘open’ and an AAAserver (or a home location register (HLR)) may be used to authenticateand authorize users to access the TVWS database 108. Such an examplenetwork configuration including an AAA server is shown in FIG. 14.Example implementations for using AAA server-based communications inconnection with the example methods and apparatus described herein arediscussed below in connection with FIGS. 14-16.

As shown in FIG. 1, to communicate with the TVWS database 108, awireless terminal 114 connects to the WLAN AP 104. In the illustratedexamples described herein, the wireless terminal 114 includes a station(i.e., a STA), while the WLAN AP 104 includes an AP STA. The wirelessterminal 114 can use an access network (AN) request message 116 to querythe TVWS database 108 through the WLAN AP 104 (and the NAS 106). Aresponse from the TVWS database 108 sent to the WLAN access network 102(through the NAS 106) can be communicated by the WLAN AP 104 to thewireless terminal 114 through an AN response message 118. The messagingexchange between the wireless terminal 114, the WLAN AP 104, and theTVWS database 108 is shown in FIG. 2. The formats or structures of therequest message 116 and the response message 118 are shown in FIGS. 4and 5, respectively.

In some example implementations, to inform the wireless terminal 114whether the WLAN AP 104 supports TVWS connectivity and whether the WLANAP 104 is capable of communicating with the TVWS database 108, the WLANAP 104 may transmit a TVWS advertisement indicating such capabilityinformation in a beacon signal 120. The format and structure of thebeacon signal 120 is shown in FIG. 3. In some example implementations,the TVWS connectivity and capability of communicating with the TVWSdatabase 108 can be transmitted in a probe response message (e.g., theAN response message 118). In the illustrated examples described herein,supporting TVWS connectivity indicates that an access point is capableof communicating with a TVBD using TVWS protocol and frequencyrequirements, and advertising a capability to communicate with (e.g.,network reachability or connectivity) the TVWS database 108 indicatesthat the access point can route queries to the TVWS database 108 andreceive responses from the TVWS database 108 (and route the responses tothe requesting device).

In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, the WLAN AP 104 does not supportTVWS connectivity, but it is capable of communicating with the TVWSdatabase 108. Similar information indicating support for TVWSconnectivity and communication with the TVWS database 108 may also betransmitted in beacon signals of TVWS access points (e.g., the TVWSaccess point 128 c) to indicate support for TVWS connectivity with TVBDsand capabilities to communicate with the TVWS database 108. In thismanner, the wireless terminal 114 can connect with a TVWS access networkusing a TVWS protocol and frequency to retrieve updated TVWSconnectivity capability/requirements information for connecting to theTVWS access network and/or for retrieving TVWS connectivitycapability/requirements information for connecting to a TVWS accessnetwork at another location.

In other example implementations, the beacon and probe responses can betransmitted using another radio access technology (RAT) such as acellular system, if the TVBD is a multi-mode device also supporting thistechnology.

In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, TVWS connectivity information 122stored in the TVWS database 108 is shown as having record entries foreach of three different TVWS access networks 126 a-c. The TVWSconnectivity information 122 includes the capabilities and requirementsfor connecting to each of the TVWS access networks 126 a-c. Such TVWSconnectivity capabilities and requirements include, for example,frequencies, available bandwidth, power, policy, timing, location, andaccess rights to channels allocated for TVWS connections. In theillustrated example, the TVWS access network 126 a is shown as locatedat location A, the TVWS access network 126 b is shown as located atlocation B, and the TVWS access network 126 c is shown as located atlocation C. To query the TVWS database 108 for TVWS connectivityinformation for a particular one of the locations A-C, the wirelessterminal 114 can send a location identifier for the correspondinglocation (e.g., one of the locations A-C) to the TVWS database 108. Inthis manner, the TVWS database 108 can use the received locationidentifier to locate, in its records, the requested TVWS connectivityinformation for a corresponding one of the TVWS access networks 126 a-c.

As shown in FIG. 1, an example operating scenario involves the wirelessterminal 114 requesting connectivity information for the TVWS accessnetwork 126 c at location C while in communication with the WLAN accessnetwork 102. In this manner, when the wireless terminal 114 is moved tolocation C, the wireless terminal 114 is aware of (e.g., has storedtherein) all the TVWS connectivity capabilities and requirements of theTVWS access network 126 c to facilitate association of the wirelessterminal 114 with the TVWS access network 126 c. The example methods andapparatus described herein may be employed in such a manner when, forexample, a person travels between different regions or countries (e.g.,the WLAN access network 102 and the TVWS access network 126 c may be indifferent regions or countries). Alternatively, the wireless terminal114 may access the TVWS database 108 to discover TVWS connectivitycapabilities and requirements for a TVWS access network that is nearbyand reachable from its current location (e.g., the WLAN access network102 and one of the TVWS access networks 126 a-c may be co-located in thesame region or overlapping regions). Example processes that may be usedto access the TVWS database 108 to, for example, retrieve TVWSconnectivity capabilities and requirements, are described below inconnection with FIG. 19.

In some instances, TVWS access networks may change their connectivitycapabilities and requirements from time to time such that channelsavailable for communication or useable transmission power levels maychange. In such instances, the example methods and apparatus may also beused by a wireless terminal to retrieve updated TVWS informationassociated with a TVWS access network to which the wireless terminal isalready connected. In such example implementations the wireless terminalmay access the TVWS information via the TVWS access network or anotheraccess network (including another type of access network).Alternatively, this updated information may be broadcast to TVBDs,either in beacon (or broadcast) messages or unsolicited informationelement messages. Such broadcasting or pushing of updated TVWSconnectivity information from the TVWS database 108 is described indetail below in connection with the flow diagram of FIG. 20.

In the illustrated example, each of the TVWS access networks 126 a-c isrepresented by a television transmission tower. In such exampleimplementations, each television transmission tower can be provided witha TVWS access point 128 a-c connected to the external network 110through, for example, a respective NAS (not shown). In this manner, thewireless terminal 114 can connect with the TVWS access networks 126 a-cusing a TVWS protocol and frequency.

In the illustrated example, the request message 116 and the responsemessage 118 can be exchanged without needing the wireless terminal 114to be in an associated state with (e.g., without registering with) theWLAN AP 104. Example advantages of keeping the wireless terminal 114 ina non-associated state relative to the WLAN AP 104 include preservingbattery power and processing resources of the wireless terminal 114 andpreserving processing and bandwidth resources of the WLAN AP 104 thatwould otherwise be needed to negotiate an association/registrationsession with the WLAN AP 104. A security mechanism may be applied tosuch non-associated database information exchange to maintain theintegrity of the information. However, the example methods and apparatusdescribed herein may also be implemented while the wireless terminal 114is in an associated state relative to the WLAN AP 104.

FIG. 2 depicts an example communication exchange 200 between thewireless terminal 114, the WLAN AP 104, and the TVWS database 108 ofFIG. 1 to access information in the TVWS database 108. Although notshown, some or all of the message exchanges shown in FIG. 2 as beingperformed by the WLAN AP 104 may be performed by a combination of theNAS 106 and the WLAN AP 104. In the illustrated example, the wirelessterminal 114 sends the AN request message 116 to the WLAN AP 105. The ANrequest message 116 includes a database request 202 intended fordelivery to the TVWS database 108. In some example implementations, theAN request message 116 may be sent by the wireless terminal 114 inresponse to user input requesting to access (e.g., retrieve, store,modify, etc.) information in the TVWS database 108, while in otherexample implementations, the AN request message 116 may be sent inresponse to a process of the wireless terminal 114. The database request202 may be, for example, a request for TVWS connectivity capabilitiesand requirements for different TVWS access networks (e.g., the TVWSaccess networks 126 a-c), a request for a database address, a request toregister with the TVWS database 108 or any other request described belowin connection with FIGS. 6-8.

After receiving the AN request message 116, the WLAN AP 104 parses outthe database request 202 and forwards the database request 202 to theTVWS database 108. In response to the database request 202, the TVWSdatabase 108 performs a requested operation and sends a databaseresponse 204 to the WLAN AP 104 that is intended for delivery to thewireless terminal 114. The WLAN AP 104 forms the AN response message 118to forward the database response 204 therein to the wireless terminal114. Example frames that may be used for exchanging communications andinformation with the TVWS database 108 using the database request 202and the database response 204 are described below in connection withFIGS. 6-8, 10, and 11.

In the illustrated example of FIG. 2, the request and response messages116 and 118 can be exchanged using a pre-defined query protocol such asAccess Network Query Protocol (ANQP) that is transported using GenericAdvertisement Service (GAS) query/response formatted frames. The GASprotocol, as defined in IEEE® 802.11, provides transport mechanisms foradvertisement services between the WLAN APs and wireless terminals whilethe wireless terminals are in a non-associated state (or an associatedstate) with the wireless APs. As used in connection with the examplemethods and apparatus described herein, the ANQP enables STAs (e.g., thewireless terminal 114) to discover the availability of information(e.g., TVWS connectivity capabilities/requirements, etc.) related todesired network services. The communications described herein betweenthe wireless terminal 114 and the WLAN AP 104 (or any other AP) toaccess the TVWS database 108 may be performed at layer 2 (e.g., a mediaaccess control (MAC) layer) of the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI)model.

Alternatively, the request and response messages 116 and 118 may beexchanged using information elements as defined in IEEE® 802.11.

In some example implementations, to protect the information in messages116, 118, 202, and 204, keys can be used to perform message integritycheck (MIC) operations on the messages 116, thus, securing messages 116and 118 in OSI layer 2 exchanges. The keys may be derived using, forexample, Diffie Hellman exchanges between the wireless terminal 114 andthe TVWS database 108, together with a unique White Space identifier ofthe wireless terminal 114 (e.g. a Federal Communications Commission(FCC) ID and its serial number). Additionally or alternatively, otherprocedures may also be used to secure the information exchange with theTVWS database 108.

FIG. 3 depicts an example beacon frame 300 that can be transmitted inthe beacon signal 120 (FIG. 1) by the WLAN AP 104 of FIG. 1. In theillustrated example, the example beacon frame 300 includes a TVWScapability (TVWSC) field 302 and a TVWS database reachability (TVWSD)field 304. The TVWSC field 302 stores information indicative of whetheran access point (e.g., the WLAN AP 104 or TVWS APs of the TVWS ANs 126a-c of FIG. 1) has TVWS capabilities to enable connecting to a TVBDusing a TVWS protocol and frequency. The TVWSD field 304 indicateswhether an access point (e.g., the WLAN AP 104 or the TVWS APs 128 a-cof FIG. 1) is capable of exchanging communications with the TVWSdatabase 108. As such, the TVWSC field 302 and the TVWSD field 304 maybe used in combination to indicate that a TVWS-capable AP lacks networkreachability of a TVWS database (e.g., if the AP is in motion itself).

In the illustrated example of FIG. 3, each of the TVWSC field 302 andthe TVWSD field 304 is a one-bit field. Also in the illustrated example,the TVWSC field 302 may be set (i.e., TVWSC field=‘1’) to indicatesupport for connecting to a TVBD (e.g., the wireless terminal 114) orcleared (i.e., TVWSC field=‘0’) to indicate non-support for connectingto a TVBD. Also in the illustrated example, the TVWSD field 302 may beset (i.e., TVWSD field=‘1’) to indicate support for exchangingcommunications with the TVWS database 108 (and network reachability ofthe TVWS database 108) or cleared (i.e., TVWSD field=‘0’) to indicatenon-support for exchanging communications with the TVWS database 108 (ornon-reachability of the TVWS database 108).

The wireless terminal 114 can use the information in the TVWSC field 302to determine whether it can connect to a particular AP (e.g., one of theTVWS APs 128 a-c of FIG. 1) using a TVWS communication interface. Thewireless terminal 114 can use the information in the TVWSD field 304 todetermine whether to send the AN request message 116 to an AP (e.g., theWLAN AP 104 or one of the TVWS APs 128 a-c of FIG. 1) or whether such acommunication would be unproductive (and wasteful of battery andprocessing power) because the AP lacks network reachability of the TVWSdatabase 108.

Although the TVWSC and TVWSD fields 302 and 304 are shown in the beaconframe 300, which may be communicated via the beacon signal 120 (FIG. 1),the TVWSC and TVWSD fields 302 and 304 may alternatively be communicatedby the WLAN AP 104 or the TVWS APs 128 a-c in probe response messages(e.g., the AN response message 118 of FIGS. 1 and 2) to the wirelessterminal 114. In such example implementations, probe response messagesfrom APs may be used to advertise AP capabilities to wireless terminalsand/or request capability information from wireless terminals.

FIG. 4 depicts the AN request message 116 of FIGS. 1 and 2 and thedatabase request frame 202 of FIG. 2. In the illustrated example, the ANrequest message 116 includes an INFO ID field 402, a length field 404,and a TVWS protocol (TVWSP) frame field 406. In some exampleimplementations, the AN request message 116 may be implemented using aGAS query/response format, and the fields 402, 404, and 406 may form aninformation element implemented in accordance with an access networkquery protocol (ANQP) defined in IEEE® 802.11. The ANQP supportsinformation retrieval from an information repository on an AP (e.g., acopy of some or all of the contents of the TVWS database 108 stored inthe WLAN AP 104 or the TVWS APs 128 a-c) or an external network (e.g.,the TVWS database 108 in the external network 110 of FIG. 1).

In the example implementations described herein, the wireless terminal114 may use the ANQP information element to query the TVWS database 108(or a copy of the TVWS database 108 stored locally in an AP or otherentity in a local access network) and receive responses from the TVWSdatabase 108 through the WLAN AP 104. That is, when the WLAN AP 104receives the AN request message 116 from the wireless terminal 114, theWLAN AP 104 (or the NAS 106 of FIG. 1) can parse out information fromthe INFO ID field 402, the length field 404, and the TVWSP frame field406, form the database request 202 based on the parsed out information,and send the database request 202 to the TVWSC database 108. In theillustrated example, to indicate that the wireless terminal 114 iscommunicating a query intended for the TVWS database 108, the wirelessterminal 114 stores an identifier value in the INFO ID field 402identifying the communication as containing a TVWSP frame. In addition,the length field 404 specifies the size of the information in the TVWSPframe field 406, and the TVWSP frame field 406 includes the queryintended for the TVWS database 108. Example TVWSP frames that may becommunicated in the TVWS frame field 406 are described below inconnection with FIGS. 6-9.

FIG. 5 depicts the database response frame 204 of FIG. 2 and the ANresponse message 118 of FIGS. 1 and 2. In the illustrated example, theAN response message 118 includes an INFO ID field 502, a length field504, and a TVWSP frame field 506. The AN response message 118 may beimplemented using a GAS query/response format, and the fields 502, 504,and 506 may form an ANQP information element.

In the example implementations described herein, the WLAN AP 104 may usethe ANQP information element to forward the database response 204 fromthe TVWS database 108 to the wireless terminal 114. That is, when theWLAN AP 104 receives the database response 204 from the TVWS database108, the WLAN AP 104 (or the NAS 106 of FIG. 1) can provide informationin the INFO ID field 502, the length field 504, and the TVWSP framefield 506 corresponding to the database response 204, form the ANresponse message 118, and send the AN response message 118 to thewireless terminal 114. In the illustrated example, the INFO ID field 502identifies the communication as including a TVWSP frame, the lengthfield 504 specifies the size of the TVWSP frame field 506, and the TVWSPframe field 506 includes the response from the information in the TVWSdatabase 108. Example response frames that may be communicated in theTVWS frame field 506 are described below in connection with FIGS. 10 and11.

FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 depict example TVWSP frames that the wireless terminal108 can use to query the WLAN AP 104 and/or the TVWS database 108regarding connectivity information associated with the TVWS accessnetworks (e.g., the TVWS access networks 126 a-c of FIG. 1), and FIGS.6, 10, and 11 depict example TVWSP frames that can be used to sendresponses to the wireless terminal 114. FIG. 6 is a database networkaddress frame 600 that can be used to query the WLAN AP 104 for networkaddresses of TVWS databases (e.g., the TVWS database 108) accessible bythe WLAN AP 104. The example TVWSP frames of FIGS. 7 and 8 can becommunicated by the wireless terminal 114 to the WLAN AP 104 in theTVWSP frame field 406 (FIG. 4) and from the WLAN AP 104 to the TVWSdatabase 108 in the database request 202 (FIGS. 2 and 4). The exampleTVWSP frames of FIGS. 10 and 11 can be communicated by the TVWS database108 to the WLAN AP 104 in the database response 204 (FIGS. 2 and 5) andfrom the WLAN AP 104 to the wireless terminal 114 in the TVWSP framefield 506 (FIG. 5). In some example implementations, not all of theTVWSP frame types of FIGS. 6, 7, 8, 10, and 11 may be required for thewireless terminal 114 to obtain information or make requests to the TVWSdatabase 108. For example, if an AAA server is co-located with the TVWSdatabase 108, the wireless terminal 114 may not need to discover theaddress of the TVWS database 108 and, thus, would not use the databasenetwork address frame 600.

Now turning to FIG. 6, the example database network address frame 600may be used to retrieve a network address of the TVWS database 108 ofFIGS. 1 and 2 (or any other TVWS databases accessible by the WLAN AP104). In the illustrated example of FIG. 6, the database network addressframe 600 includes a location field 602, a database address field 604,and an optional signature field 606. The location field 602 is avariable length field that contains the location for which the wirelessterminal 114 is requesting to access TVWS information (e.g., TVWSconnectivity capabilities and/or requirement information). The locationcould be a current location of the wireless terminal 114 or a locationat which the wireless terminal 114 is expected to operate at some futuretime. Thus, the wireless terminal 114 could indicate any location (notjust its current location) for which TVWS connectivity information isdesired. In this manner, information from the TVWS database 108 could beretrieved via the Internet 112 from a user's home (e.g., throughEthernet, USB or over any wireless RAT on the wireless terminal 114) andthen used for TVWS connectivity (e.g., via the TVWS access networks 126a-c of FIG. 1) in another location at some later time. The locationinformation could be in the form of, for example, a hotspot ID,latitude/longitude global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, regionidentifiers (e.g., municipality names), civic address, etc. Omittinglocation information in the location field 602 indicates a currentlocation as determined by the access network in communication with thewireless terminal 114.

The database address field 604 is a variable length field used toindicate a network address to which the WLAN AP 104 can send a databasequery (e.g., the database request 202 of FIGS. 2 and 4) related to aTVWS access network at a location indicated in the location field 602.That is, if the location field 602 indicates location C (FIG. 1), thedatabase address field 604 provides the network address of the TVWSdatabase 108, because the TVWS database 108 stores information about theTVWS access network 126 c at location C.

In some example implementations, the database address field 604 couldalso be used as a search field. For example, the string “local” in thedatabase address field 604 could be used to retrieve a network addressof a local TVWS database, the string “all” in the database address field604 could return a list of all relevant TVWS databases, and the string“free” in the database address field 604 could be used to retrievenetwork addresses for TVWS databases that are free to access. Inaddition, the database address field 604 could be used to implement arich query mechanism to discover different types of TVWS databasesmeeting different types of criteria for different purposes andinformation, for example.

In a valid response (i.e., success) from the WLAN AP 104, the databaseaddress field 604 provides a network address of a TVWS database (e.g.,the TVWS database 108) meeting the criteria (e.g., location and/or anyother criteria) provided by the wireless terminal 114. For example, thenetwork address of the TVWS database could be a uniform resourceidentifier (URI) (e.g., http://White_Space.regulator-fcc.org). In someexample implementations, the network address of a local copy of a TVWSdatabase could be returned (e.g., http://White_Spacesim.waterloo.org)and/or a list of alternative network addresses could be returneddepending upon the information stored in those alternative TVWSdatabases. In some example implementations, a different uniform resourcename (URN) could be used to address TVWS databases. Such a URN could be‘tvbd’ rather than ‘http’ (e.g., tvbd://White_Space.regulator-fcc.org).The wireless terminal 114 can address further database requests to theprovided network address to, for example, retrieve TVWS connectivityinformation (e.g., the TVWS connectivity information 122 of FIG. 1) fromthe TVWS database 108 or send any other types of requests to the TVWSdatabase 108.

In some example implementations, the database network address frame 600may also include information indicating whether TVWS databases requireTVBDs to register therewith before allowing the TVBDs to accessinformation stored in those TVWS databases. In some exampleimplementations, TVBDs required to register with TVWS databases may bedevices with fixed locations that supply a fixed set of GPS coordinates.The database network address frame 600 may also include informationspecifying the type of information parameters (e.g., authenticationcredentials, username/password, payment tokens, etc.) required toregister wireless terminals with the TVWS databases.

In example implementations in which a TVWS database is located within acellular core network (not shown) to which an AP (e.g., the WLAN AP 104,the TVWS APs 128 a-c of FIG. 1, or a cellular access network AP) isconnected, a network address of the TVWS database 108 may not berequired. In such implementations, the TVWS database could be accesseddirectly using an IEEE® 802.11 3GPP Cellular Network Information frame(e.g., a generic container) shown in FIG. 13 and discussed in detailbelow. Also in such example implementations, the capabilities of the AP(connected to the cellular network) related to network reachability ofthe TVWS databases (e.g., as indicated in the TVWSD field 304 of FIG. 3)and the capabilities of the AP to connect with wireless terminals usinga TVWS protocol and frequency (e.g., as indicated in the TVWSC field 302of FIG. 3) may be communicated by the AP in accordance with the accessnetwork and discovery selection function (ANDSF) defined in 3GPP TS24.312 and/or in accordance with IEEE® 802.21 information servers (IS).

In the illustrated example of FIG. 6, the signature field 606 is anoptional field that can transmit a message integrity check (MIC) toprovide message integrity with an AAA server (e.g., the AAA server 1402of FIG. 14) for instances in which registration or authentication isrequired to communicate with the TVWS database 108. When suchregistration or authentication is required, a security parameter in thesignature field 606 could be mandated by an AAA protocol (e.g., theRADIUS protocol or Diameter protocol) between the NAS 106 and the TVWSdatabase 108.

FIG. 7 depicts an example database registration frame 700 that may beused by TVBDs (e.g., TVBDs with fixed locations) to register with TVWSdatabase 108 of FIGS. 1 and 2. In the illustrated example, the databaseregistration frame 700 includes a device identifier field 702, alocation field 704, and a database address field 706. The deviceidentifier field 702 is a variable field that stores an identificationand/or credential, which may be mandated by an operator (e.g., anInternet/network service provider, a services provider, a database host,etc.) of the TVWS database 108. In the United States of America, such anidentification and/or credential could be a certificate based on theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) ID of the device.

The location field 704 is similar to the location field 602 of FIG. 6,and the database address field 706 is used to communicate the networkaddress received by the wireless terminal 114 in the database addressfield 604 of FIG. 6. In communicating the database registration frame700, the wireless terminal 114 requests registration with the TVWSdatabase 108 based on its device identifier and/or credential to performqueries or other requests to the TVWS database 108 (which is denoted bythe network address in the database address field 706) related to a TVWSaccess network at the location specified in the location field 704. Insome example implementations, other fields (e.g., authentication and/orregistration information fields) could be added to the databaseregistration frame 700, as required by the addressed TVWS database.

FIG. 8 depicts an example database request frame 800 that may be used inconnection with the database request 202 of FIGS. 2 and 4 to sendrequests to the TVWS database 108. In the illustrated example, thedatabase request frame 800 includes a request ID field 802, a requesttype field 804, a request command information field 806, a locationfield 808, a database address field 810, and a time field 812. In theillustrated example, the request ID field 802 is a fixed length fieldthat stores values corresponding to unique numbers that uniquelyidentify each request. These request IDs are used to identifycorresponding responses from the TVWS database 108.

The request type field 804 is a fixed length field that stores a requesttype value indicative of the type of request being made in each databaserequest. Example request types are shown in an example request typevalues data structure 900 of FIG. 9. The request command informationfield 806 is used to store a query, request, or other information sentto the TVWS database 108. The information that may be stored in therequest type field 804 and the request command information field 806 isdescribed in greater detail below in connection with FIG. 9.

The location field 808 is similar to the location fields 602 (FIG. 6)and 704 (FIG. 7), and the database address field 810 is similar to thedatabase address field 706 of FIG. 7.

In the illustrated example, the time field 812 is a variable lengthfield that may be used by the wireless terminal 114 to requestinformation from the TVWS database 108 at a future time (e.g., there maybe a prescheduled TV primary service, which would occupy some of theTVWS bands, so that these TVWS bands would no longer be available at therequested location at that future time).

In some example implementations, the database registration frame 700 andthe database request frame 800 may be combined so that a TVBD canregister and receive a channel assignment in the same response (e.g.,the database response 204 of FIGS. 2 and 5). In such implementations,the database request would be generated with a corresponding requesttype identifier (e.g., a database registration and channel request type‘7’ shown in FIG. 9) in the request type field 804.

Turning to FIG. 9, the example request type values data structure 900includes different request types that can be indicated in the requesttype field 804 of the database request frame 800 of FIG. 8 to indicatedifferent types of requests communicated to the TVWS database 108. Inthe illustrated example of FIG. 9, a request type of ‘1’ indicates adatabase query request for which the request command information field806 of FIG. 8 contains a query for information from the TVWS database108. The request command information field 806 allows the wirelessterminal 114 to send any type of query protocol (e.g., http GET, SQL,etc.) to the TVWS database 108. For example, a query could be of manydifferent types, depending on the amount and detail of informationsought to be retrieved. Example queries include: (a) requesting allinformation (e.g., a mirror of the TVWS database 108); (b) requestingall information for a particular location (e.g., for the locationindicated in the location field 808); (c) requesting information updatesin a particular location (e.g., updates to network connectivityinformation that occurred since a particular time); and/or (d)requesting a listing of available TVWS channels for a particularlocation (and the radius of usage for each channel).

A request type of ‘2’ indicates a database update request for which therequest command information field 806 of FIG. 8 contains a request foran update from the TVWS database 108 that could, for example, include anidentifier of a specific update to TVWS network connectivityinformation. To make such an update request, any type of query protocol(e.g., http GET, SQL, etc.) could be used. Example update requestsinclude: (a) a request to retrieve a most recent update; (b) a requestto retrieve a specific update (e.g., using an update identifier); (c) arequest to retrieve all updates having occurred during the previous 24hours (or other time period); and (d) a request to retrieve all updatesfor a particular location having occurred during the previous 24 hours(or other time period).

A request type of ‘3’ indicates a database upload request for which therequest command information field 806 contains a request to uploadinformation to the TVWS database 108 and also contains the informationto be uploaded. The upload request could be provided in the requestcommand information field 806 using any type of query protocol (e.g.http GET, SQL, etc.). In some example implementations, the wirelessterminal 114 may provide the upload information in a free format.Alternatively or additionally, the upload information could be providedin accordance with required database parameters, which could beretrieved from the TVWS database 108 (e.g., using a request type of ‘4’described below). To upload extra information from the device to theTVWS database 108, multiple database upload requests may be transmittedin seriatim as many times as required.

A request type of ‘4’ indicates a database access parameters request forwhich the request command information field 806 contains a request todetermine the type of database access parameters that may be required bythe TVWS database 108 to upload information. Such database accessparameters may indicate the requirement of a username to allow access,or the parameters could be more complex such as a set of parameters(e.g., power level, authentication credentials, payment tokens, etc.).

In some example implementations, wireless terminals may be required toprovide their location and power level to the TVWS database 108, priorto operation on a particular RAT. In some example implementations, suchdata access parameters would have to be transmitted through anotherRAT-b (e.g., an IEEE® 802.11 RAT) of a wireless terminal, prior to RAT-a(e.g., a TVWS RAT) operation of that wireless terminal.

For the database access parameters request (e.g., a request type of‘4’), the request command information field 806 may be left blank. Aresponse information field of a database response frame (e.g., thedatabase response frames of FIGS. 10 and 11) would contain a list ofparameter IDs, to indicate which parameters are required.

A request type of ‘5’ indicates a database modification request forwhich the request command information field 806 contains a request tomodify (e.g., add, change, or delete) information in the TVWS database108. For this request type, the request command information field 806may contain any type of query protocol (e.g. http GET, SQL, etc.) forsending to the TVWS database 108 to perform the requested modification.In some example implementations, the database modification request(e.g., the request type of ‘5’) can be used as an operation andmaintenance type of command. In addition, the database modificationrequest may be restricted to certain users. In some exampleimplementations, the database modification request could alternativelybe implemented using the database upload request (e.g., a request typeof ‘3’)

A request type of ‘6’ indicates a database validation request for whichthe request command information field 806 contains a request to the TVWSdatabase 108 to confirm whether previously retrieved information storedin the wireless terminal 114 (or at a data store local to, for example,the WLAN AP 104) is still valid. For example, the wireless terminal 114may periodically request such validations to ensure that the informationit is using to connect to a TVWS access network is still valid and/oroptimal. In addition, data stores local to WLAN APs or TVWS APs maystore local copies of some or all of the database information from theTVWS database 108 to facilitate responding relatively quicker and moreefficiently to queries from wireless terminals (e.g., the wirelessterminal 114). In such instances, the local data stores can use databasevalidation requests to determine when information stored therein isinvalid relative to information in the TVWS database 108.

To perform the database validation request, the request commandinformation field 806 allows any type of query protocol (e.g., http GET,SQL, etc.) to be sent to the TVWS database 108 to perform thevalidation. An example manner of performing a database validationrequest involves identifying the information desired to be validated andthe time at which the information was retrieved from the TVWS database108.

A request type of ‘7’ indicates a database registration and channelrequest for which the request command information field 806 contains arequest to register with the TVWS database 108 and receive a channelassignment from the TVWS database 108 in the same response from the TVWSdatabase 108 that also confirms the registration therewith.

A request type of ‘8’ indicates a security parameter request forindicating a security key exchange for which the request commandinformation field 806 contains key information (e.g., a Diffie-Hellmankey information) for developing security parameters between the wirelessterminal 114 and the TVWS database 108.

FIG. 10 depicts an example database response frame 1000 that may be usedto communicate information from the TVWS database 108 to the wirelessterminal 114 of FIGS. 1 and 2. In the illustrated example, the databaseresponse frame 1000 includes a returned request ID field 1002 and aresponse information field 1004. The returned request ID field 1002 is afixed field to store values that uniquely identify a correspondingoriginal request (e.g., a request sent using the database request frame800 of FIG. 8). For example, the values stored in the returned requestID field 1002 by the TVWS database 108 correspond to request IDs storedin the request ID field 802 of the database request frame 800. Inaddition, the returned request ID field 1002 enables the wirelessterminal 114 to detect duplicate (and/or dropped) responses. In someexample implementations, to provide assurances that data in the receivedresponses correspond to previously sent requests, the original requestID (stored in the request ID field 802 of FIG. 8) may be hashed with aunique database identifier. When using hash techniques, the returnedrequest ID may be longer (e.g., 2-times or 4-times longer).

The response information field 1004 is a variable length field thatcontains the response information from the TVWS database 108 in responseto a corresponding original database request.

FIG. 11 depicts an extended database response frame 1100 that mayadditionally or alternatively be used to communicate information fromthe TVWS database 108 to the wireless terminal 114 of FIGS. 1 and 2. Theextended database response frame 1100 may be used in example instancesin which extended information fields can be used to facilitatetransmitting more information from the TVWS database 108 to the wirelessterminal 114 and/or the WLAN AP 104. In addition, the extendedinformation fields may be used to keep the frames of FIGS. 6, 7, and 8to a reasonable length by including the extended information fields onlyin the responses.

Although not shown, other extended information fields could include atime stamp field and an error/warning/info code field to enable thewireless terminal 114 and/or the WLAN AP 104 to assess the currentvalidity of information and/or a state of the TVWS database 108.

FIG. 12 depicts an example TVWS protocol (TVWSP) error/warning/infocodes data structure 1200 including codes to inform the wirelessterminal 114 (FIGS. 1 and 2) of error, warning, and/or other operatingstates of the TVWS database 108 (FIGS. 1 and 2). The codes shown in FIG.12 could be sent by the TVWS database 108 using the database responseframe 1000 of FIG. 10 and/or the extended database response frame 1100of FIG. 11. In the illustrated example of FIG. 12, the codes include asuccess code 1202 of ‘0’, a registration denied code 1204 of ‘1’, aninformation unavailable code 1206 of ‘2’, and a limited time use code1208 of ‘3’. The success code 1202 indicates that the requestedoperation was successfully completed. The registration denied code 1204indicates that the TVWS database 108 denied registration to a wirelessterminal (e.g., the wireless terminal 114). The information unavailablecode 1206 indicates that queried information is unavailable in the TVWSdatabase 108. The limited time use code 1208 indicates that the TVWSdatabase 108 has registered a wireless terminal for a limited duration.

FIG. 13 depicts an example cellular network information frame 1300 forexchanging information with a TVWS database in a cellular network. Inthe illustrated example, the cellular network information frame 1300 isan IEEE® 802.11u 3GPP Cellular Network Information frame that provides ageneric container (e.g., a payload) for use by an AP to exchangecommunications with a TVWS database located in a cellular network. Inthe illustrated example, the cellular network information frame 1300includes an INFO ID field 1302, a length field 1304, and a payload field1306. The INFO ID field 1302 can store a code identifying thecommunication as a TVWS database query. The length field 1304 is used toindicate the size of the variable-length payload field 1306. The payloadfield 1306 is used to encapsulate any of the TVWSP frames of FIGS. 6-8,10, and 11 (or any other TVWSP frames) for exchanging informationbetween an AP and the TVWS database in the cellular network.

FIG. 14 depicts another example communication network 1400 in connectionwith an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server 1402co-located with the TVWS database 108 in the external network 110. Inthe illustrated example of FIG. 14, wireless terminals are required tobe authenticated and authorized by the AAA server 1402 to access theTVWS database 108. Example authentication methods that may be employedby the AAA server 1402 include extensible authentication protocol (EAP)type authentication methods. The AAA server 1402 may be implementedusing a Remote Authentication Dial In User Services (RADIUS) server or aDiameter server.

In the illustrated example of FIG. 14, the AAA server 1402 uses an AAAprotocol to enable exchanging TVWSP frames between the TVWS database 108and the NAS 106. This enables communicating requests and responsesbetween the wireless terminal 114 and the TVWS database 108 based on anauthentication policy. In example implementations in which the AAAserver 1402 is implemented using a RADIUS server, the NAS 106 may use anexample RADIUS time-length-value (TLV) structure 1500 of FIG. 15 toexchange information with the AAA server 1402. In exampleimplementations in which the AAA server 1402 is implemented using aDiameter server, the NAS 106 may use an example Diameterattribute-value-pair (AVP) structure 1600 of FIG. 16 to exchangeinformation with the AAA server 1402.

Turning to FIG. 15, the example RADIUS TLV structure 1500 includes amandatory (‘M’) flag 1502, a reserved (‘R’) flag 1504, a TLV type field1506, a length field 1508, and a TVWSP frame field 1510. The ‘M’ flag1502 is used to indicate whether use of the RADIUS TLV structure 1500 isrequired (e.g., ‘M’=1) to be communicated to the TVWS database 108 fromthe AAA server 1402 or whether it is optional (e.g., ‘M’=0) such thatthe AAA server 1402 may forward only a TVWSP frame (e.g., one of theTVWSP frames of FIGS. 6-8) extracted from the RADIUS TLV structure 1500to the TVWSP database 108. In the illustrated example, the ‘R’ flag 1504is set to zero (0). The TLV type field 1506 is used to indicate the typeof TLV information that is being sent. An example TLV type for the TVWSPframes described herein could be indicated as a ‘TVWS_DP’ type toindicate that the information element in the TVWSP frame field 1510 is aTVWSP frame. The length field 1508 is used to indicate the size of theinformation element in the TVWSP frame field 1510. The TVWSP frame field1510 is used to encapsulate a TVWSP frame (e.g., the TVWSP frames ofFIGS. 6-8, 10, and 11) in the RADIUS TLV structure 1500.

Turning to FIG. 16, the example Diameter AVP structure 1600 includes anAVP code field 1602, a vendor (‘V’) flag 1604, a mandatory (‘M’) flag1606, an encryption (‘P’) flag 1608, an AVP length field 1610, and aTVWSP frame field 1612. The AVP code field 1602 is used to indicate thetype of AVP information that is being sent. An example AVP code for theTVWSP frames described herein could be indicated by an AVP codeindicating that the information element in the TVWSP frame field 1612 isa TVWSP frame. The ‘V’ flag 1604 is used to indicate whether the AVPinformation being sent is vendor specific. The ‘M’ flag 1606 is used toindicate whether use of the Diameter AVP structure 1600 is required(e.g., ‘M’=1) to be communicated to the TVWS database 108 from the AAAserver 1402 or whether it is optional (e.g., ‘M’=0) such that the AAAserver 1402 may forward only a TVWSP frame (e.g., one of the TVWSPframes of FIGS. 6-8) extracted from the Diameter AVP structure 1600 tothe TVWSP database 108. The ‘P’ flag 1608 is used to indicate whetherend-to-end encryption is required (e.g., ‘P’=1) or optional (e.g.,‘P’=0). The AVP length field 1610 is used to indicate the size of theinformation element in the TVWSP frame field 1612. The TVWSP frame field1612 is used to encapsulate a TVWSP frame (e.g., the TVWSP frames ofFIGS. 6-8, 10, and 11) in the Diameter AVP structure 1600.

Referring now to FIG. 17, an example implementation of the wirelessterminal 114 of FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown in block diagram form. In theillustrated example, the wireless terminal 114 includes a processor 1702that may be used to control the overall operation of the wirelessterminal 114. The processor 1702 may be implemented using a controller,a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor, or anycombination thereof.

The wireless terminal 114 also includes a terminal message generator1704 and a terminal data parser 1706. The terminal message generator1704 may be used to generate queries and/or requests (e.g., the ANrequest message 116 of FIGS. 1 and 2) in accordance with request/queryprotocols and frame structures described herein. The terminal dataparser 1706 may be used to retrieve frames of information from memory(e.g., a RAM 1710) and retrieve particular information of interest fromthose frames. For example, the terminal data parser 1706 may be used toretrieve information communicated in the AN response message 118 ofFIGS. 1 and 2. Although the terminal message generator 1704 and theterminal data parser 1706 are shown as separate from and connected tothe processor 1702, in some example implementations, the terminalmessage generator 1704 and the terminal data parser 1706 may beimplemented in the processor 1702 and/or in a wireless communicationsubsystem (e.g., a wireless communication subsystem 1718). The terminalmessage generator 1704 and the terminal data parser 1706 may beimplemented using any desired combination of hardware, firmware, and/orsoftware. For example, one or more integrated circuits, discretesemiconductor components, and/or passive electronic components may beused. Thus, for example, the terminal message generator 1704 and theterminal data parser 1706, or parts thereof, could be implemented usingone or more circuit(s), programmable processor(s), application specificintegrated circuit(s) (ASIC(s)), programmable logic device(s) (PLD(s)),field programmable logic device(s) (FPLD(s)), etc. The terminal messagegenerator 1704 and the terminal data parser 1706, or parts thereof, maybe implemented using instructions, code, and/or other software and/orfirmware, etc. stored on a machine accessible medium and executable by,for example, a processor (e.g., the example processor 1702). When any ofthe appended claims are read to cover a purely software implementation,at least one of the terminal message generator 1704 and the terminaldata parser 1706 is hereby expressly defined to include a tangiblemedium such as a solid state memory, a magnetic memory, a DVD, a CD,etc.

The wireless terminal 114 also includes a FLASH memory 1708, a randomaccess memory (RAM) 1710, and an expandable memory interface 1712communicatively coupled to the processor 1702. The FLASH memory 1708 canbe used to, for example, store computer readable instructions and/ordata. In some example implementations, the FLASH memory 1708 can be usedto store one or more of the type of information and/or data structuresdiscussed above in connection with FIGS. 6-13, 15, and 16. The RAM 1710can also be used to, for example, store data and/or instructions.

The wireless terminal 114 is optionally provided with a securityhardware interface 1714 to receive a subscriber identity module (SIM)card (or a universal SIM (USIM) card or a near field communication (NFC)secure element) from a wireless service provider. A SIM card may be usedas an authentication parameter to authenticate the wireless terminal 114for establishing a connection with a database (e.g., the TVWS database108 of FIG. 1), an access network (e.g., the WLAN access network 104and/or the TVWS access networks 126 a-c of FIG. 1), and/or an externalnetwork (e.g., the external network 110 of FIG. 1). The wirelessterminal 114 is also provided with an external data I/O interface 1716.The external data I/O interface 1716 may be used by a user to transferinformation to the wireless terminal 114 through a wired medium (e.g.,Ethernet, universal serial bus (USB), etc.). A wired data transfer pathmay, for example, be used to communicate with the TVWS database 108.

The wireless terminal 114 is provided with a wireless communicationsubsystem 1718 to enable wireless communications with APs (e.g., theWLAN AP 104 and/or the TVWS APs 128 a-c of FIG. 1). Although not shown,the wireless terminal 114 may also have a long-range communicationsubsystem to receive messages from, and send messages to, a cellularwireless network. In the illustrated examples described herein, thewireless communication subsystem 1718 can be configured in accordancewith the IEEE® 802.11 standard and/or a TVWS standard for communicatingwith TVWS access networks (e.g., the TVWS access networks 126 a-c). Inother example implementations, the wireless communication subsystem 1718can be implemented using a BLUETOOTH® radio, a ZIGBEE® device, awireless USB device, a radio frequency identification (RFID) device, anNFC device, or an ultra-wideband (UWB) radio. In some exampleimplementations, the wireless communication subsystem 1718 may beprovided with multiple radio transceivers for multiple types of radioaccess technologies.

To enable a user to use and interact with or via the wireless terminal114, the wireless terminal 114 is provided with a speaker 1720, amicrophone 1722, a display 1724, and a user input interface 1726. Thedisplay 1724 can be an LCD display, an e-paper display, etc. The userinput interface 1726 could be an alphanumeric keyboard and/ortelephone-type keypad, a multi-direction actuator or roller wheel withdynamic button pressing capability, a touch panel, etc. In theillustrated example, the wireless terminal 114 is a battery-powereddevice and is, thus, provided with a battery 1728 and a batteryinterface 1730.

Turning now to FIG. 18, an example processor system 1800 for use in anetwork (e.g., the network 100 of FIG. 1 and/or the network 1400 of FIG.14) is shown in block diagram form. Processor systems similar oridentical to the processor system 1800 may be used to implement the WLANAP 104, the NAS 106, the TVWS APs 128 a-c of FIG. 1, and/or the AAAserver 1402 of FIG. 14. The processor system 1800 includes a processor1802 to perform the overall operations of the processor system 1800. Inaddition, the processor system 1800 includes a network message generator1804 to generate messages (e.g., the database request 202 of FIGS. 2 and4 and the AN response message 118 of FIGS. 1, 2, and 5) and a networkdata parser 1806 to retrieve information from received messages (e.g.,the AN request message 116 of FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 and the databaseresponse 204 of FIGS. 2 and 5). The network message generator 1804 andthe network data parser 1806 may be implemented in the processor 1802and/or a communication subsystem (e.g., a wireless communicationsubsystem 1812 and/or a network interface 1814) using any combination ofhardware, firmware, and/or software including instructions stored on acomputer-readable medium.

The processor system 1800 also includes a FLASH memory 1808 and a RAM1810, both of which are coupled to the processor 1802. The FLASH memory1808 may be configured to store one or more of the type of informationand/or data structures discussed above in connection with FIGS. 6-13,15, and 16.

In some example implementations (e.g., in the WLAN AP 104 and the TVWSAPs 128 a-c of FIG. 1), to communicate with wireless terminals such asthe wireless terminal 114, the processor system 1800 is provided with awireless communication subsystem 1812, which may be substantiallysimilar or identical to the wireless communication subsystem 1718 (FIG.17) of the wireless terminal 114. To exchange communications with theTVWS database 108 (and/or any intermediate network entities such as theNAS 106 of FIGS. 1 and 14 and the AAA server 1402 of FIG. 14), theprocessor system 1800 is provided with a network interface 1814.

FIGS. 19 and 20 depict example flow diagrams representative of processesthat may be implemented using, for example, computer readableinstructions that may be used to obtain TVWS connectivity informationfrom a database (e.g., the TVWS database 108 of FIGS. 1 and 2)indicative of capabilities and requirements for connecting to a TVWSaccess network (e.g., one of the TVWS access networks 126 a-c of FIG.1). The example processes of FIGS. 19 and 20 may be performed using oneor more processors, controllers, and/or any other suitable processingdevices. For example, the example processes of FIGS. 19 and 20 may beimplemented using coded instructions (e.g., computer readableinstructions) stored on one or more tangible computer readable mediasuch as flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), and/or random-accessmemory (RAM). As used herein, the term tangible computer readable mediumis expressly defined to include any type of computer readable storageand to exclude propagating signals. Additionally or alternatively, theexample processes of FIGS. 19 and 20 may be implemented using codedinstructions (e.g., computer readable instructions) stored on one ormore non-transitory computer readable media such as flash memory,read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), cache, or any otherstorage media in which information is stored for any duration (e.g., forextended time periods, permanently, brief instances, for temporarilybuffering, and/or for caching of the information). As used herein, theterm non-transitory computer readable medium is expressly defined toinclude any type of computer readable medium and to exclude propagatingsignals.

Alternatively, some or all of the example processes of FIGS. 19 and 20may be implemented using any combination(s) of application specificintegrated circuit(s) (ASIC(s)), programmable logic device(s) (PLD(s)),field programmable logic device(s) (FPLD(s)), discrete logic, hardware,firmware, etc. Also, some or all of the example processes of FIGS. 19and 20 may be implemented manually or as any combination(s) of any ofthe foregoing techniques, for example, any combination of firmware,software, discrete logic and/or hardware. Further, although the exampleprocesses of FIGS. 19 and 20 are described with reference to the flowdiagrams of FIGS. 19 and 20, other methods of implementing the processesof FIGS. 19 and 20 may be employed. For example, the order of executionof the blocks may be changed, and/or some of the blocks described may bechanged, eliminated, sub-divided, or combined. Additionally, any or allof the example processes of FIGS. 19 and 20 may be performedsequentially and/or in parallel by, for example, separate processingthreads, processors, devices, discrete logic, circuits, etc.

Now turning to FIG. 19, example processes 1902 depict operations thatmay be performed by a wireless terminal (e.g., the wireless terminal 114of FIGS. 1 and 2) or any other TVBD to exchange requests and responseswith an access network access point (e.g., the WLAN AP 104 and/or theTVWS APs 128 a-c of FIG. 1) and a database (e.g., the TVWS database 108of FIG. 1). Example processes 1904 depict operations that may beperformed by an access network (e.g., the WLAN AP 104 and/or the NAS 106of the WLAN access network 102 of FIG. 1 or the TVWS APs 128 a-c of FIG.1). In some example implementations, the processes of FIG. 19 may beused to provide the wireless terminal 114 new and/or updated TVWSconnectivity information indicative of capabilities and requirements forconnecting to a TVWS access network (e.g., the TVWS access networks 126a-c of FIG. 1). In other example implementations, the processes of FIG.19 may be used to perform any other TVWS database related operationsrequested by the wireless terminal 114 as discussed above in connectionwith the TVWSP frames of FIGS. 6-8 and the request type values datastructure of FIG. 9. In addition, the processes of FIG. 19 may beperformed while the wireless terminal 114 is in a non-associated state(or associated state) relative to an AP with which the wireless terminal114 is communicating to access the TVWS database 108.

Initially, the wireless terminal 114 receives a beacon signal (e.g., thebeacon signal 120 of FIG. 1) (block 1906). Alternatively, the wirelessterminal 114 may receive a probe response message (e.g., the AN responsemessage 118 of FIGS. 1, 2, and 5) from an AP at block 1906, in responseto a probe request message 116 from the wireless terminal 114. Thewireless terminal 114 determines the TVWS connect capability of the APthat broadcast the beacon signal (block 1908). For example, if thebeacon signal 120 (or probe response) was transmitted by the WLAN AP 104of FIG. 1, the beacon signal 120 (or probe response) would indicate inthe TVWSC field 302 (FIG. 3) that the WLAN AP 104 is not capable ofconnecting with wireless terminals using a TVWS protocol and frequency.If, instead, the wireless terminal 114 received a beacon signal (orprobe response) from one of the TVWS access networks 126 a-c, the beaconsignal (or probe response) would indicate in the TVWSC field 302 thatthe TVWS access network is capable of connecting with wireless terminalsusing a TVWS protocol and frequency. If the AP (e.g., one of the TVWSAPs 128 a-c of FIG. 1) is capable of connecting with the wirelessterminal 114 using a TVWS protocol and frequency, further communicationswith the AP are performed via a TVWS connection. Otherwise, furthercommunications with the AP are performed using a communication protocolcompatible with the AP such as, for example, an IEEE® 802.11 protocol, acellular protocol, a WiMAX protocol, etc.

The wireless terminal 114 determines whether the AP that broadcast thebeacon signal is capable of connecting with a TVWS database (e.g., theTVWS database 108) (block 1910). Alternatively, the wireless terminal114 may receive a probe response message (e.g., the AN response message118) from an AP at block 1906, in response to a probe request message(e.g., the AN request message 116 of FIGS. 1, 2, and 4) from thewireless terminal 114. For example, the wireless terminal 114 mayretrieve information from the TVWSD field 304 of FIG. 3 to determinewhether the TVWS database 108 is reachable by the AP that broadcast thebeacon signal (or probe response messages).

When the wireless terminal 114 determines that the TVWS database 108 isreachable by the AP that broadcast the beacon signal (block 1910) (orthe sent the probe response message), the wireless terminal 114 sends adatabase address request (block 1912) to the AP. The database addressrequest may be formatted and sent using the AN request message 116 andthe database request 202 of FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 based on the databasenetwork address frame 600 of FIG. 6 as discussed above in connectionwith FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 6.

The AP receives the database address request (block 1914) and retrievesone or more network address(es) for one or more reachable TVWS databasesbased on the information in the database address request (block 1916).The AP sends the database address(es) to the wireless terminal 114(block 1918). If the AP cannot locate any database addresses matchingthe criteria in the database address request, the AP can instead send anerror/warning/info code (e.g., the information unavailable code 1206 ofFIG. 12) to the wireless terminal 114 at block 1918.

The wireless terminal 114 receives the database address(es) (block 1920)from the AP. The wireless terminal 114 can select a TVWS database (e.g.,the TVWS database 108) with which to communicate (block 1922) anddetermines whether the selected TVWS database 108 requires the wirelessterminal 114 to register therewith (block 1924). If the TVWS database108 requires wireless terminal registration (block 1924), the wirelessterminal 114 sends a registration request to the AP (block 1926). In theillustrated example, the wireless terminal 114 can format and send theregistration request using the AN request message 116 of FIGS. 1, 2, and4 based on the database registration frame 700 of FIG. 7 as discussedabove in connection with FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 7.

In the illustrated example of FIG. 19, the AP may perform the operationsof blocks 1928, 1930, 1932, 1934, 1936, and 1938 described below toprocess requests/queries (e.g., the AN request message 116 and thedatabase request 202 of FIGS. 1, 2, and 4) sent by the wireless terminal114 for delivery to a TVWS database (e.g., the TVWS database 108).

The AP receives the registration request from the wireless terminal 114(block 1928). For example, the AP may receive the registration requestfrom the wireless terminal in the AN request 116 (FIGS. 1, 2, and 4)formatted in accordance with the database registration frame 700 (FIG.7). If the AP determines that the TVWS database 108 requiresauthentication (block 1930), the AP (or NAS 106 of FIGS. 1 and 14)encapsulates the registration request in an authentication frame (e.g.,one of the RADIUS TLV structure 1500 of FIG. 15 or the Diameter AVPstructure 1600 of FIG. 16).

The AP sends the registration request to the TVWS database 108 (block1934). For example, the AP may send the registration request to the TVWSdatabase 108 in the database request 202 (FIG. 2) using the format ofthe database registration frame 700 (FIG. 7). For instances whenauthentication is required, the AP sends the authentication-encapsulatedregistration request to the TVWS database 108 via the AAA server 1402 ofFIG. 14.

The AP receives a database registration response from the TVWS database108 (block 1936) and sends a response to the wireless terminal 114. Forexample, the AP may receive the database registration response from theTVWS database in the database response 204 of FIG. 2 based on a formataccording to the database response frame 1000 of FIG. 10 or the extendeddatabase response frame 1100. In addition, the AP may forward theinformation from the database registration response to the wirelessterminal 114 in the AN response message 118 of FIGS. 1, 2, and 5. Thecontents of the database registration response may be anerror/warning/informative code (e.g., success, registration denied,limited time use, etc.) from the TVWSP error/warning/info codes datastructure 1200 of FIG. 12.

The wireless terminal 114 receives the database registration response(block 1940). If the registration was successful (block 1942) or if theTVWS database 108 does not require registration (block 1924), thewireless terminal 114 sends a request to access information in the TVWSdatabase 108 to the AP (block 1944). In the illustrated example, thewireless terminal 114 can format and send the access request using theAN request message 116 of FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 based on the databaserequest frame 800 of FIG. 8 as discussed above in connection with FIGS.1, 2, 4, and 8. The request may be a request for TVWS connectivityinformation (e.g., the TVWS connectivity information 122 of FIG. 1)describing capabilities and requirements of one or more of the TVWSaccess networks 126 a-c pertaining to the one or more locationsspecified by the wireless terminal 114 in the request. Alternatively,the request sent by the wireless terminal 114 may be any other type ofrequest including one or more of the requests described above inconnection with the request type values data structure 900 of FIG. 9.

The AP receives the request (e.g., the AN request message 116 of FIGS.1, 2, and 4) (block 1928). If authentication is required (block 1930),the AP (or NAS) encapsulates the request in an authentication frame(e.g., one of the RADIUS TLV structure 1500 of FIG. 15 or the DiameterAVP structure 1600 of FIG. 16). The AP sends the request (e.g., thedatabase request 202 of FIGS. 2 and 4) to the TVWS database 108 (block1934) (in an authentication frame, if required), receives a response(e.g., the database response 204 of FIGS. 2 and 5) from the TVWSdatabase 108 (block 1936), and sends a response (e.g., the AN responsemessage 118 of FIGS. 1, 2, and 5) to the wireless terminal 114 (block1938).

The wireless terminal 114 receives the response from the AP (block 1946)and stores (and/or uses) the information from the TVWS database 108(block 1948). For example, if the received information is TVWSconnectivity information for connecting to one of the TVWS accessnetworks 126 a-c (FIG. 1), the wireless terminal 114 can store thereceived TVWS connectivity information and subsequently (or immediately)use the TVWS connectivity information to connect to one of the TVWSaccess networks 126 a-c. After storing/using the TVWS information (block1948) or if the TVWS database registration was not successful (block1942) or if the AP exchange communications with a TVWS database (block1910), the example processes of FIG. 19 end.

Now turning to FIG. 20, the example flow diagram is representative ofcomputer readable instructions that may be used to push TVWSconnectivity information updates from the TVWS database 108 to aregistered terminal (e.g., the wireless terminal 114 or any other TVBD)without needing the registered terminal to request such updatedinformation. In the illustrated example of FIG. 20, example processes2002 depict operations that may be performed by a wireless terminal(e.g., the wireless terminal 114 of FIGS. 1 and 2) or any other TVBD toregister with the TVWS database 108 and receive broadcast or pushupdates therefrom. Example processes 204 depict operations that may beperformed by the TVWS database 108 to register wireless terminals andpush or broadcast TVWS connectivity information updates to registeredwireless terminals.

Initially, the wireless terminal 114 requests to register with the TVWSdatabase 108 (block 2006). The wireless terminal 114 may perform theregistration request by sending a message (e.g., the AN request message116 of FIGS. 1, 2, and 4) format in accordance with the databaseregistration frame 700 (FIG. 7) to the WLAN AP 104 or any of the TVWSAPs 128 a-c. The TVWS database 108 receives and registers the wirelessterminal 114 (block 2008). The TVWS database 108 sends a registrationconfirmation to the wireless terminal 114 (block 2010), and the wirelessterminal 114 receives the registration confirmation (block 2012).

After some time, the TVWS database 108 receives TVWS access networkconnectivity parameter changes (block 2014). Such updated informationmay be received from one or more TVWS access networks (e.g., one or moreof the TVWS access networks 126 a-c of FIG. 1) in response to the one ormore TVWS access networks detecting that it needs to change itsconnectivity parameters. For example, if a TVWS access network detectsthat a current one of its available channels will no longer be available(e.g., it is needed for another use such as broadcasting emergency, newsinformation, operation of other wireless devices (e.g., wirelessmicrophones) in the same or nearby frequencies, etc.), the TVWS accessnetwork can send such updated channel availability information to theTVWS database 108 for storing in the TVWS connectivity information 122.In some example implementations, the TVWS access network may also sendtime information along with the connectivity information updateindicative of when the updated information will take effect and/or theduration for which the updated information will be valid.

The TVWS database 108 generates a message describing the TVWS accessnetwork connectivity parameter change(s) (block 2016) and pushes (orbroadcasts) the message to registered terminals (block 2018). In theillustrated example of FIG. 20, the TVWS database 108 sends the messagein an automated fashion without needing the registered terminals torequest the updated information. In some example implementations, theTVWS database 108 may select to push the message only to thoseregistered terminals to which the updated information is relevant. Suchrelevancy may be based on log information indicating which registeredterminals previously requested to retrieve connectivity information forparticular TVWS access networks. In the illustrated example, thewireless terminal 114 receives the message (block 2020) and storesand/or implements the TVWS access network connection changes (block2022). For example, if the wireless terminal 114 is not connected to aTVWS access network corresponding to the received updated information,the wireless terminal 114 can store the information for future use.Otherwise, if the wireless terminal 114 is connected to the TVWS accessnetwork corresponding to the received updated information, the wirelessterminal 114 can implement the changes by modifying its connection withthe TVWS access network. The example processes of FIG. 20 then end.

Although certain methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture havebeen described herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is notlimited thereto. To the contrary, this patent covers all methods,apparatus, and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scopeof the appended claims either literally or under the doctrine ofequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: receiving a request at afirst access network, the request requesting network connectivityinformation for connecting a wireless terminal to a second accessnetwork; encapsulating the request in an authentication frame, theauthentication frame indicating the request as a white space protocolframe; and sending the authentication frame to a database addressed inthe request.
 2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the request isreceived from the wireless terminal while the wireless terminal is in anon-associated state relative to the first access network.
 3. A methodas defined in claim 1, wherein the database is in an external networkseparate from the first access network.
 4. A method as defined in claim1, wherein the first access network is a first network type differentfrom a second network type of the second access network.
 5. A method asdefined in claim 1, further comprising sending a response from thedatabase to the wireless terminal via the first access network, theresponse including the network connectivity information for connectingthe wireless terminal to the second access network.
 6. A method asdefined in claim 1, wherein the authentication frame is a RemoteAuthentication Dial In User Services (RADIUS) frame or a Diameterservice frame.
 7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the firstaccess network is one of a wireless local area network, a cellularnetwork, or a white space network, and wherein the second access networkis a white space network.
 8. An apparatus, comprising: a processorconfigured to at least: receive a request at a first access network, therequest requesting network connectivity information for connecting awireless terminal to a second access network; encapsulate the request inan authentication frame, the authentication frame indicating the requestas a white space protocol frame; and send the authentication frame to adatabase addressed in the request.
 9. An apparatus as defined in claim8, wherein the processor is configured to receive the request from thewireless terminal while the wireless terminal is in a non-associatedstate relative to the first access network.
 10. An apparatus as definedin claim 8, wherein the database is in an external network separate fromthe first access network.
 11. An apparatus as defined in claim 8,wherein the first access network is a first network type different froma second network type of the second access network.
 12. An apparatus asdefined in claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to senda response from the database to the wireless terminal via the firstaccess network, the response including the network connectivityinformation for connecting the wireless terminal to the second accessnetwork.
 13. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein theauthentication frame is a Remote Authentication Dial In User Services(RADIUS) frame or a Diameter service frame.
 14. An apparatus as definedin claim 8, wherein the first access network is one of a wireless localarea network, a cellular network, or a white space network, and whereinthe second access network is a white space network.
 15. A tangiblemachine readable storage device having instructions stored thereon that,when executed, cause a machine to at least: receive a request at a firstaccess network, the request requesting network connectivity informationfor connecting a wireless terminal to a second access network;encapsulate the request in an authentication frame, the authenticationframe indicating the request as a white space protocol frame; and sendthe authentication frame to a database addressed in the request.
 16. Amachine readable device as defined in claim 15, wherein the request isreceived from the wireless terminal while the wireless terminal is in anon-associated state relative to the first access network.
 17. A machinereadable device as defined in claim 15, wherein the database is in anexternal network separate from the first access network.
 18. A machinereadable device as defined in claim 15, wherein the first access networkis a first network type different from a second network type of thesecond access network.
 19. A machine readable device as defined in claim15 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause amachine to send a response from the database to the wireless terminalvia the first access network, the response including the networkconnectivity information for connecting the wireless terminal to thesecond access network.
 20. A machine readable device as defined in claim15, wherein the authentication frame is a Remote Authentication Dial InUser Services (RADIUS) frame or a Diameter service frame.
 21. A machinereadable device as defined in claim 15, wherein the first access networkis one of a wireless local area network, a cellular network, or a whitespace network, and wherein the second access network is a white spacenetwork.